Florence Nightingale Research Paper

Florence Nightingale was born in Florence, Italy, on May 12, 1820 into a wealthy family; Nightingale was educated by her father, who had studied at Cambridge. She displayed exceptional intellect, learning multiple languages and being particularly capable in mathematics and statistics. At an early stage, she realized she wanted to do something more meaningful with her life; she wanted to work; to use her intellect, her skills, her moral passion to make a difference in the world. She could not be accustomed to the boredom of the role accorded to wealthy women during this time. She was most contented in solitary activities of reading and writing her journal. As she struggled with finding her own place in life, she came to feel that God was calling

Her work of nursing the soldiers in the war made her a legend before she arrived back in England. It set her on the world stage and gave her long-term meaningful work. She worked at reforming the military medical system and its education. When Nightingale and 38 nurses arrived at the military hospital in Scutari, she found that the wounded soldiers were dying from very poor sanitary condition of the hospital. The soldiers were inadequately cared for, medicines and other basics were in short supply, hygiene was neglected, and infections were widespread. “Nightingale found there were no clean linen; the clothes of the soldiers were swarming with bugs, lice, and fleas; the floors, walls, and ceilings were filthy; and rats were hiding under the beds. There were no towels, basins, or soap, and only 14 baths for approximately 2000 soldiers. The death count was the highest of all hospitals in the region. One of Nightingale's first purchases was of 200 Turkish towels; she later provided an enormous supply of clean shirts, plenty of soap, and such necessities as plates, knives, and forks, cups and glasses. Nightingale believed the main problems were diet, dirt, and drains. She brought food from England, cleaned up the kitchens, and set her nurses to cleaning up the hospital wards”

Her approach to administering care to patients that addressed a person's mental, physiological, and physical well-being while being sensitive to a patient's needs and his or her recovery would now be called holistic nursing, and currently plays an important role in the treatment and recovery of patients. Her goal was to provide a safe and caring environment that promotes patient health and well being. Furthermore, Nightingale's emphasis on evidence-based medicine is particularly apposite for the medical profession today, especially because new treatments and medicine continually being developed demand rigorous statistical testing for safety and efficacy”. (Magnello,